End of Course Reflections

I have gained a lot of knowledge while taking this class. I have always been tech savvy but when it came to video and audio, I was a novice. Then when it came to creating animation I had no idea. I have never experienced any type of projects using animation. I have always wanted to do animation, but had not clue. I loved being able to learn how to create animation. I loved being able to learn about layers, and how each of those can be altered to make it look like animation. When it the assignment where we had to create a poster Glogster, using the Four Principles of Design, I have used that program before, but not to the extent in which I did for that project. I learned how to use this program on a deeper level. It was very tough to create and learn, but I learned a lot more about it. But one of the things that I really knew nothing about and had a misconception about was what the Four Principal Designs were really about. One of the things I thought you were supposed to have on webpages were things that were similar in nature. After reading the pdf file that Robin Williams created, I discovered that when it comes to contrast, everything needs to be different, not similar in which I thought it needed to be. (Williams) When I was able to learn and reflect on what I have learned, I was able to create a masterpiece that was more along the guidelines of the true Four Principles of design. Another thing that I learned was from Lea, on her website LeaLea’s Blogblog, she mentioned that stereotyping is not always a bad thing. When we stereotype ourselves, it can be in a good way, as well as bad ways. (Alcantara, 2012) To complete the Glogster assignment, I used all of the ideas and advice from the readings and applied it. It was very tough but I used all the resources, did a little bit, went back to the information, and then kept working on my work. I made sure that I was doing everything correctly but checking back periodically. After I completed it I was not only exhausted, but I was also proud. I had gained something new and had created something new. It was an intrinsic motivation to keep working hard at learning more about the four principles. What was really nice was I was able to talk to not only the professor via email, but also other students as well about the assignment, as well as other concepts to help me understand everything. When it came to all of the information I learned, I feel that I will be able to use a majority of it with my kids, myself, and other spectrums of the educational and personal field. On one of the websites that I read, I saw something that really made an impact on how I will do things in the future. ” Text-to-speech is also a beneficial writing tool. It may be easier for students to recognize errors when listening versus reading a composition. By using text-to-speech to read back the text they have written, students may be able to revise more successfully.” (Center For Implementing Technology in The Education) This quote right here is very powerful. I feel that this is something that has been lacking in my classroom. I feel that this is the key to making my kids successful. I have even discussed this with my group members. They also feel the same and we have talked about how we can implement this into our curriculum. This class and my group members have made a big impact on how I perceive things. They have both helped me to look deeper into the things that I do. I know that looking to others for guidance is the way to lead life as a person and as an educator. The only thing that will stand in my way of trying to implement these things into my classroom are the administrators. I have, unfortunately, experienced some administrators that want to control what and how things are done in the classroom. If I can prove that everything I have done and will do is the best for our students then I feel they will eventually break and support me. I have been keeping up with my various studies and other project on my blog. To see these you can visit http://josephfergusonlamar.blogspot.com/. Works Cited Alcantara, L. (2012). The Art of Self-Branding: Part Two. Retrieved from lealea's blogblog: http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-two/ Center For Implementing Technology in The Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Joseph%20School%20Comp/Documents/Lamar%20University%20Master%20of%20Instructional%20Technology/Digital%20Graphics/Week%203/Multimedia%20Applications%20for%20the%20Classroom.htm Williams, R. (n.d.). The Non-Designer Design Book.

School Website

https://sites.google.com/site/5366groupproject/home This is to the group website that my group and I developed. This is the collaboration that my group and I had. Please click on the link below. Collaboration Site